A conventional navigation apparatus has a function to synthetically display a map in vicinity of a present position and a travel route to a destination.
In addition, the navigation apparatus further displays an arrow expressing an intended heading direction at a guidance point such as an intersection to be turned (for example, Patent document 1). This allows a user to recognize the present position and the direction of the travel route without need of moving a line of sight.                Patent document 1: JP-2006-313144A        
In Patent document 1, when the vehicle approaches a predetermined distance (for example, 700 meters) short of the guidance point such as an intersection, the arrow expressing the intended heading direction suddenly appears on a display screen. This may provide a user with a difficulty in quickly understanding the direction of the arrow.